I take in the privacy curtain, the thin bed I’m lying in, and Indigo sitting in a chair. “How’d I get . . .” I cup my head then my mouth sinks. “Oh . . .” The last few hours rush back to me.
Grandma Stephy pats my hand that’s resting on my stomach. “You’ve never been good with blood, but you worried me to death when you blacked out.”
I look down at my knee, which is now wrapped in a bandage—thank God. “Did I have to get stitches?”
“You did.” Grandma Stephy smoothes my hair from my forehead so she can look me in the eyes. “How are you feeling? About everything?”
“The leg hurts,” I admit. “And the thing with my mom . . . you said her name was Bella.” I smile at that. “I have to be named after her, right?”
“I guess so.” Grandma Stephy glances over her shoulder at Indigo. “Honey, would you mind going and getting me a soda from the vending machine?”
Indigo nods and Grandma Stephy waits until she ducks out from the curtain before she sits down on the edge of the bed. “Isa, your dad knows I told you about your mom. That’s why he came over to my house today.”
“But how did he find out? I didn’t say anything to him.”
“You didn’t have to. He said he knew from the moment you got back from your trip. He said you looked so much like her, and he just jumped to the conclusion that your change came from learning who your mom is.”
“I look like her?” I try not to act too giddy, because Grandma Stephy seems upset, but I can’t help it. I’m totally freakin’ excited.
“According to your dad, you do.” She dazes off into empty space. “I can’t believe how your father acted today. I mean, I always kind of knew he was a spoiled brat, but . . .” She looks at me. “Your grandpa used to spoil him all the time, because he was his only son. Everything Henry wanted, your grandpa gave him. I knew one day it would backfire, but the way he treated me,” she shakes her head, “I just can’t believe that man yelling at me today is my son.”
“I’m sorry. I feel like this is all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault. He never should’ve kept you in the dark like he did. But what I don’t get is how on Earth he thought I told you how your mother looked, and all the other stuff he was saying. He acted like I somehow found out everything about her and told you.”
“Maybe he thought you hired a private investigator.” I shift my leg into a more comfortable position as the low ache ignites into a fiery pain.
“Maybe.” She mulls over something, tousling her short hair with her fingers. “I don’t know, though. I’d have to have a starting point for that, which I don’t.”
“But there has to be a starting point. I mean, if she had me and I lived with her for a while, it’d be documented, like say with a birth certificate.”
“You sound like a mystery novel right now, Isa,” she says with a thoughtful smile.
“Well, I do read them a lot,” I admit. “But I’m just saying, her name has to be on it, doesn’t it?”
She promptly shakes her head. “I know where you’re going with this, and the answer is no.”
I give her my most innocent look, my lips parting, my eyes widening. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Your father is already upset as it is,” she continues, ignoring me. “If he caught you snooping around,” she shakes her head in dismay, “I don’t even want to go there.”
“He’s not going to hurt me, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“I know he won’t hurt you, but with how they treat you now, and if Lynn gets involved in this . . .” She sighs heavily as she checks the screen of her phone. “I really think you should reconsider my offer to come live with me. Your father won’t be happy about it, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight it. He’s proved way too many times that he doesn’t deserve to have you around.”
“I don’t think he’d care,” I say, repositioning my leg.
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” she tells me with a heavy-hearted look. “In fact, he might have mentioned something about me staying away from you while he was mad. And he’s probably going to yell at me when he gets here.”
My mouth curves to a frown as my shoulders slump. “He’s headed here? Why?”
“Because he’s your guardian and you’re on his insurance.” She covers her hand over mine. “Don’t worry. He’s just going to be angry with me.”
“Well, I’m going to let him know this is all my fault.” I grip her hand, trying to tell myself that everything will be okay. “I’m sure once he realizes that, he’ll let me see you again.” Besides, there’s no way Lynn would ever let my dad try to keep me at our house.
The Year I Became Isabella Anders (Sunnyvale, #1)
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